bbaedslee



mitre dem@ encuen vv. ennnnsnnn, or cotnnenroiur, Naw renin.

Specification forming part bf Letters Patent No. 399518339 dated Augusti8, i862?.

To all whom it ma/y concern:

Be itknown that l, GEORGE W. BEARDSLEE, of Gollege Point, Long Island,in the State of New York, have invented anew and useful Method of Firingor Discharging Cannon and @ther Fire-Arms; and l do hereby declare thatthe followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecificaticn, in which,

Fgure'il is a longitudinal section otv a cannon adapted to my improvedmethod of firing the charge, andFig. 2 a perspective view of the fuse,the wrapper being represented as transparent. 1

The same letters indicate like parts 'in both :the figures.

My said invention relates to the iiring of cannon and other hre-arms bycurrents of electricity, and without a vent or touch hole.

The use of a vent or priming hole in tirearms, and specially in cannon,is known to be 'objectionably for reasons so well understood that it isdeemed unnecessary to state them herein; and the object of my saidinvention is `to avoid the use ot' such vent or priming hole in rearms,and specially in cannon.

The mode of construction for the application of my said invention I willdescribe as applied to a cannon, as from that 'any one skilled infire-arms may readily make the application to other hre-arms.

In the rear end or breech of Vthe cannon a, and in line with the axis ofthe bore, I bore or otherwise :form a holeextending entirely through tothe bore, andthis I ream out to a conical form with the greater diameterinside. To this hole is accurately fitted a conical plug of metal, b,'the periphery of which is to be coated with some suitable non-conductorof electricity. l have found that enameling the surface of the plug inthe same way and by the same means used for enamelng iron wire, andtherefore not necessary to be described, answers a good purpose.

f The metallic surface of the inner end of-the plug, orI at least aportion of it, should be left uncovered.-l This metallic plug is to beaccurately fitted and-.driven forcibly into the conical hole andsecuredby a nut,.c,crothcr suitablenieans, on the outside, a" washer of india-The cartridge or charge of powder e is pro vided with a fuse, f, whichliv prefer to make `on a plan invented by Frederick E. Beardslee,

and for which l am informed he has made application for Letters Patent.it is constructed as follows, viz: In the accompanying drawings, grepresents a block of wood, whichis termed the holden andyinto which areinserted two copper wires, h h', of about No. 16

wire gauge, and about three-sixteenths of an inch apart from center tocenter.

The edges of the extreme ends of the wires should be completely incontact with the wood. The other end of the wires are left to projectfrom the block to a suiicient length for a purpose to be presentlydescribed.

The feeble conductor connecting the extreme end of the two copper wiresh h" the inventor prefers to make by a pencil-mark, i, on the end of theholder, extending froml one wire to the other, and made with a pencil ofthe softest and purest plumbago.

rlihe holder is surrounded with paper extending suiiciently beyond-theend of the holder to form a small case, j, to hold a small charge ofpowder in contact with the feeble conductor, the inventor preferring touse meal-powder. When a current of electricity is induced in passingthrough the plumbago-mark, or equivalent feeble conductor, it willignite a portion of it, producing a break with an intense flash, whichwill ignite the contained charge of pow der.

To protect the ends of the conducting-wires h h and the plnmbago-linefrom oxidation and injury, they may be coated with collodion orotherequivalent substance. rlhe fuse f, thus formed, is placed, bypreference, at about the center of the cartridge or charge of powder e,with one of the conducting-wires, h, extending in a slight coil through,so as to project slightly from the rear end of the cartridge or chargeTo the outer end of this plug is atf of powder to insure 'its cominginto-contct with the metallic face of the plug b at the f tent as toinsure its being in contact with the bore when charged into the cannon.

-As one of 4the conducting-wires of the fuse fis in contact with theinner end of the conical plug b, 'which plug is in connection with the vconducting-wire d, leading to one pole of a magneto-electric machine orgalvanic battery, or

other suitable means for inducing currents of electricity, and the otherconducting-wire, h',

of the fuse is in contact with the bore of the gun, and the two wiresare insulated by the non-conducting coating of the conical p1ug,.itfollows that when the body of the cannonlis connected with'the otherpole ofa magnetoclectric machine or battery,either by t he groundconnection or by another conducting-wire, and the electric circuit isestablished, the current, on reachingtbe point of one of the wires, willbe conducted to the otherwire, h', of the fuse by the pencil-mark o', orequivalent feeble conductor, causingaiiash or spark, which instantlyignites the charge of powder.

By the foregoing means cannon or other lirearms can-be instantly tiredby simply closing the electric circuit, or, what is the same thing,

by simply turning the magneto-electric machine, thus dispensing with thenecessity of using-a vent or priming hole and avoiding alltbe-objections thereto; andalthou'ghj deem it best to use fuses on theplan herein described, I do not wish to be understood as'restrictingmyself to the use thereof, as other means for causing the electriccurrent to ire the charge of powder may be substituted;

When but one cannon is required to be fired v at a time it has beenfound vthat bass-wood and the substance known as the hard compound ofvulcanized india-rubber,7 will answer a good purpose for making theholder of the fuse; but when it is desired to fire several at the same,or near the same, instant ottime, and all connected in one electriccircuit, it will be best to make the holders of some non-conductingsubstance which is not combustible, such as glass,

ivory, bone, &c. These suggestions will indicate that other andequivalent means may be substituted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent forfiring cannoli and other fire-arms by currents of electricity, is

Combining with the barrel of the cannon or other tirearm an insulatedplug extending through the metal from the bore to the outside,substantially as speciiied to be used with a cartridge having a fuseprovided with two conducting-wires, lso that when inserted in the boreone will be in contact with the bore and the other with the insulatedplug, as described,

GEO. W. BEARDSLEE. Witnesses: v

J As. DUNFoRD, GRAS. H. SHELLEY.

